Two Sides of the Other Son of Odin
by darkqueensigyn
Summary: Jenna Campbell and her uncle go through a man-made portal to Asgard and meet the royal family. A year later, a ghost from the past returns to haunt them. A tale that explores both sides of the enigmatic and tortured Loki; and the mortal girl who loved him. (Lokenna, mostly "Avengers"-verse)
1. Chapter 1: How It All Began

~.~

PROLOGUE

~.~

For as long as the world has existed, there has been Asgard.

A shimmering kingdom, in a world that exists alongside our own, that looks down on us with silent, watchful eyes; guarding and protecting us.

The nine realms have always existed.

And although they have faded away into man's legends and myths, it stills exists, and always will.

As will the celestial beings that inhabit it...

Guardians and protectors...

For humans were never meant to cross into Asgard...

~.~

CHAPTER ONE: How It All Began

~.~

THEN

Jenna Campbell was only an intern at S.H.I.E.L.D when it all began.

She was nineteen; young, naive, but smart as a whip and determined to make something of herself.

And she had her uncle to help her.

Michael Linden was Jenna's uncle and legal guardian. He was also referred to as "S.H.I.E.L.D's head case."

Linden was eccentric, to be sure, but there was a method to his madness.

There was always a purpose to everything he did.

That was why he created The Machine.

He, like his niece, had always been fascinated by the prospect of other worlds existing alongside our own.

So he opened a gateway between them.

~.~

"Uncle, are you aware of how crazy this sounds?" Jenna asked her uncle as he led her eagerly toward the large contraption in the centre of the lab; which basically looked like a gigantic iron hula hoop.

"Yes, of course I am," Michael retorted, annoyed. "But just trust me on this. I've finally perfected it! In mere moments, the two of us will step through this thing...into another realm!"

Jenna raised an eyebrow, clearly still skeptical.

"I will prove it to you!" Michael added enthusiastically, gesturing to The Machine dramatically.

Jenna just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Are you absolutely certain that this thing works?" she asked.

"Positive," Michael said with a nod. "It has passed every cross-check and triple-check I've put it through. This baby is raring to go!"

Jenna couldn't help but chuckle a little at that.

"Well...if you're absolutely sure that it won't kill us..." she conceded, following her uncle up onto the platform of The Machine.

"Don't fret," he said simply, grinning. "It's perfectly safe."

So saying, he pulled the main switch on the panel attached to The Machine, and suddenly the massive ring began crackling with electricity; exuding blue light.

"Here we go!" Michael sang out as he and Jenna were pulled into the portal with sudden force.

Jenna squeezed her eyes shut.

When she opened them again, she found herself standing on a bridge, constructed of what appeared to be crystal; that reflected rainbow colours in the light.

The bridge led to a shining golden castle overlooking an ocean, and a glistening kingdom below.

Jenna gasped in awe.

"Spectacular, isn't it?" Michael said from beside her, clearly as struck as she was.

"What is this place?" Jenna asked breathlessly.

"The realm eternal," Michael responded. "Asgard."

Jenna's breath caught in her throat.

"Uncle..." she said softly. "It's even more beautiful than I imagined it would be..."

Michael just nodded happily.

Suddenly, they were both jarred out of their reverie by the sound of a deep, gruff throat clearing behind them.

They whirled around, to find a tall, dark man dressed in golden armour the same colour as his eyes standing behind them. They were even more unnerved by the fact that he was holding a long, gilded sword between his hands.

"How is it that two mortals have crossed into Asgard without my sight?" the man asked, his voice low, but not angry.

Michael and Jenna quickly bowed.

"Pardon us, Gatekeeper," Jenna said quickly. "My uncle and I have come across this realm using Midgardian technology. We only wish to speak with your king."

Michael was impressed by Jenna's knowledge of Asgardian speech patterns.

"You speak well, for a mortal," the gatekeeper observed, speaking Michael's thoughts. "I am Heimdall, guardian of the nine realms. I shall grant you entry to Castle Asgard, so long as your intentions are true."

Jenna bowed deeply again.

"We give you our word, good Heimdall," she said gratefully.

Heimdall simply nodded.

"Follow the bridge," he told them. "It will lead you to the throne of the Allfather."

Jenna expressed the deepest gratitude of herself and her uncle, and the two of them departed.

Heimdall was true to his word.

The bridge led Jenna and Michael into the golden castle and straight to the throne room of the king.

The king of Asgard was just as he had been described in countless legends.

Odin Allfather sat, ancient and regal, on his gilded throne, dressed in shining armour, with a deep burgundy cape draped about his shoulders. Where his right eye should have been was covered by a gold eyepatch, and in one hand, he held the golden staff, Gungnir; which could only be wielded by the true king of Asgard.

"Who stands before my throne?" Odin inquired, his voice calm, fatherly, but nonetheless full of authority.

Jenna fell to one knee and bowed her head in respect, putting her fist across her chest in the traditional Asgardian salute. Michael quickly followed suit.

"My Lord Allfather," Jenna said politely. "I am Jenna Campbell of Midgard, and this is my uncle; Michael Linden of Midgard. We have come here from our home realm with peaceful intentions, and we come before you now as your subjects; humble and contrite. We only ask of Your Majesty to grant us your permission of our presence in Asgard, so that we may walk among you and your companions as guests, for the time being."

Michael was once again impressed. Clearly Jenna knew more about Asgard than he had given her credit for.

Odin was silent for a moment, processing Jenna's words.

Then the mighty king spoke.

"Very well," he said calmly. "I have seen how the two of you came to enter this realm, and you have my blessing, mortals of Midgard. I believe that both of you shall be very welcome here."

Jenna smiled and bowed her head respectfully once more.

"Our utmost thanks, Allfather," she said gratefully.

The king tapped his staff against the ground once, the sound resonating throughout the throne room.

As if on cue, two guards in armour entered the room and bowed.

"Escort our guests to their chambers," Odin told them; not quite an order but a request.

The guards nodded.

"I trust that the two of you will be made most comfortable," Odin told them as the guards escorted them out. "Once that has been done, you will both meet my family."

~.~

NOW

A year later, Jenna Campbell was a full-fledged Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. The circumstances of her promotion were still mysterious; at least to all but her uncle, and the head of the agency, Colonel Nick Fury.

She was twenty years old now; her hair still chestnut brown but shorter, curlier; her chocolate brown eyes losing their childlike luster and hardening into that of a warrior. Her pale skin was riddled with scars of past battles, most of which were hidden from sight, but her face remained unmarred.

Michael Linden now worked in S.H.I.E.L.D's laboratory alongside his longtime friend and co-worker, Dr. Erik Selvig. Although he was older, and new lines had appeared on his face, he was no less eccentric, nor had he lost his never-ending drive to make the world a better place.

The two of them were among the first to be notified that night, when the S.H.I.E.L.D base was evacuated.

As soon as Jenna heard, she rushed down to the lab with Colonel Fury and Agents Maria Hill and Phil Coulson.

The four agents soon found Linden and Dr. Selvig in the lab.

"Selvig, what's happening?" Fury asked, his tone more serious than usual.

"Well, to put it simply, the Tesseract is misbehaving," Selvig replied.

Jenna's brow furrowed.

The Tesseract was an Asgardian artifact that S.H.I.E.L.D had recently uncovered. Whoever possessed it had access to unlimited cosmic power. It looked like a simple light blue cube to the untrained eye.

"What exactly is it doing?" Fury demanded.

"That's the problem, Colonel," Michael put in. "We don't know."

"These readings are completely off the charts," Selvig added.

Jenna shook her head as she looked at the screen over her uncle's shoulder.

"Not good..." she muttered to herself.

She turned on her heel to glower at Agent Coulson.

"Where's the Hawk?" she wanted to know.

"In his nest," Coulson replied, indicating the loft above them, in the upper corner of the room.

Looking up, Jenna saw her close friend, Agent Clint Barton, sitting on the loft. His exceptional sniper skills had earned him the nickname of "Hawkeye."

"Hey, Barton!" she called up to him. "Come down here!"

Clint jumped to his feet and shimmied down the wire that he used as a means to get to and from his "nest."

"We're gonna need an extra set of hands," Jenna told Clint matter-of-factly. "Stick around."

Clint nodded. He was a man of few words, most of the time.

Just then, the Tesseract starting crackling with blue light.

Fury, Coulson and Hill stood back, drawing their guns. Barton did the same, as did several other agents in the room.

Selvig retreated behind his desk, taking cover.

"Get down," Michael told Jenna urgently.

So saying, he tugged his niece down behind a desk before taking cover himself.

The two of them watched discreetly from their hiding spot as the energy surrounding the Tesseract shot out toward the platform and suddenly took the shape of a person.

When the light faded, a man stood on the platform. He was tall, extremely pale, and looked exhausted. He held a long staff in one hand, which he leaned on for support as he caught his breath. His skin was beaded with sweat, and his shoulder-length black hair was pasted to his scalp with a combination of sweat and grease.

Jenna and Michael could tell right away from his attire that he was Asgardian.

The breath caught in Jenna's throat as she recognized him.

It couldn't be...

"Sir," Fury said authoritatively, "Please, put down the spear!"

Michael and Jenna rolled their eyes in unison.

Almost in response to Fury, the man raised his staff and sent a bolt of energy shooting toward the agents.

The agents' bullets reflected harmlessly off of the man as he lunged toward them off the platform.

Within moments, he had killed two agents and stunned three, despite the attempts of the senior agents to stop him.

One of those agents was Barton.

Before Clint could make a move against him, the man grabbed him and held him in place.

"You have heart," he said with a grin.

As he spoke, the man jabbed Clint in the chest with the point of his staff. Clint's eyes rolled over black, then white, then settled on a light, glowing blue; the same colour as the Tesseract.

Thinking quickly, Jenna leaped out from behind the desk (despite Michael's protests) and ran over to where the Tesseract rested in Dr. Selvig's machine.

Just as she reached for the glowing object, a silvery voice made her freeze.

"Please don't," the man said, his voice disturbingly soft. "I still need that."

Fury slowly walked closer to the man, placing himself between him and Jenna.

"This doesn't need to get any messier," Fury told the man, trying to sound civil.

"Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else," the man responded.

The agents, Michael and Dr. Selvig all stared at the man in a combination of fear and disbelief as he raised his head confidently; almost defiantly.

"I am Loki," he introduced himself, "of Asgard."

Jenna felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as he looked at her with eyes the color of ice.

"And I am burdened with glorious purpose," he finished.

It is him...

"Loki..." Selvig breathed in awe. "Brother of Thor!"

Jenna glanced at Dr. Selvig. He knew more about Asgard than she had thought.

"We have no quarrel with your people," Fury told Loki quickly.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot," Loki responded coolly, glancing from Jenna to Fury with a toss of his head.

"So, you're saying you're going to step on us?" Fury said in disbelief.

Loki chuckled, but it wasn't a pleasant sound.

"I come with glad tidings," he said, "of a world made free."

"Free from what?" Fury wanted to know.

"Freedom," Loki replied with a wicked smile.

"Freedom is life's great lie," he went on, pacing the floor to address each of the agents. "Once you know that...in your heart..." He glanced at Jenna again. "...you will know peace."

Just then, Barton stepped up beside Loki.

"Sir," he said in a voice that was not quite his own, "Agent Fury is stalling. We need to act, now."

Loki glanced from Barton to Fury again, still with a wicked smirk on his face.

"Very well, then," he said.

Saying this, Loki used his staff on Selvig the same way he had with Barton; his gaze never wavering from Jenna. It had the same effect. Now both Selvig and Barton were under Loki's control.

Please, stop... Jenna wanted to say, but she couldn't bring herself to speak the words.

So she chose to act instead.

While everyone else was distracted, Jenna grabbed the Tesseract and pulled it from the machine.

Loki (and everyone else) noticed right away, but within seconds, Jenna had thrown the Tesseract into a briefcase and run off with it, as quick as a fox.

Loki growled.

"Follow her," he commanded Barton and Selvig, and they obeyed.

"No!" Michael shouted, but it was too late. She was already gone, and Loki, Barton and Selvig were in hot pursuit.

Jenna had already taken off through the tunnels that led out of the S.H.I.E.L.D base.

Pursued by Fury and the agents, Loki hijacked a S.H.I.E.L.D truck, which was helmed by Barton, with Selvig in the passenger's seat. Loki stood in the back of the truck as they sped off after Jenna.

Hill leaped into a jeep and took chase.

Despite being on foot, Jenna's training and petite frame gave her innate speed, which she used to her advantage.

Nevertheless, the truck was gaining on her, fast.

Thanks to the efforts of the remaining agents to stop Loki, she made it a block before they caught up with her. Unfortunately, Loki's skillful trickery stranded Hill at the base.

The truck pulled up beside her as she ran, and in one swift movement, Loki reached out and hooked the briefcase with his staff.

"I'll take that," he said smoothly.

Jenna wasn't about to let him win so easily.

Moving as quick as a flash, Jenna jumped up into the back of the truck and leaped onto Loki's back; one arm around his neck in a chokehold and the other in an effort to grab the briefcase from him.

The two of them scuffled for a moment before Loki was able to shake her off. He turned and caught her by the edge of her jacket, pointing his staff at her throat.

"You think you can outwit me, mortal?" he growled at her. "Who do you think you are, you fool?"

The words had barely left his lips as Jenna jerked her head to the side to avoid the staff, and her hair flew back from her face.

Loki suddenly froze in shock as he recognized her at last.

For an instant, they just stared at each other; his ice-blue eyes locked onto her doe-brown ones.

"So it is you..." he whispered, and she could see in his eyes that if she didn't get away now, he would never let her go.

In his shock, Loki had absentmindedly lowered the staff, and Jenna was able to wrench herself from his grasp.

Unfortunately, in doing so, she rolled from the truck and landed on the ground as the truck left her behind.

At that moment, Fury arrived in a S.H.I.E.L.D helicopter.

Jenna clamboured to her feet.

"FURY!" she shouted in an attempt to warn him.

To no avail. Loki took the chopper down in seconds using his magic staff, but Fury was unharmed.

The two agents stood and watched helplessly as Loki and the truck vanished in the distance, taking the Tesseract with them.

"I'm so sorry, sir…" Jenna apologized, gasping to catch her breath. "I lost the Tesseract."

"You did all you could," Fury said simply, giving Jenna a forgiving gaze with his one eye.

Just then, Coulson radioed Fury on his walkie-talkie. The S.H.I.E.L.D base had been completely obilterated.

"What do we do?" Coulson asked Fury over the radio.

"We get ready," Fury responded. "As of this moment...we are at war."

Jenna heaved a sigh and closed her eyes.

This was just the beginning...

~.~

THEN

Jenna and Michael were in awe as the Allfather led them out onto the terrace of the castle.

Not only were their chambers luxurious, but the entire castle seemed to have been built for the lap of luxury itself.

"The two of you are guests in my household," Odin told the two mortals. "Therefore, you must both meet my family. The royal family of Asgard."

As they stepped onto the terrace, a woman dressed in Asgardian finery and two young men in armour came into view; one wearing a blood-red cape, the other one of emerald green.

The woman turned around first. She was an older woman, around the same age (in Asgardian years) as Odin. She wore a glamorous gown and jewels adorning her ears, neck, and dark blonde hair. She smiled at Odin as he approached.

"Odin," she greeted him tenderly, going to meet him. The Allfather kissed her hand before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"My dear," he said, "I would like to introduce, Miss Jenna Campbell of Midgard, and her uncle, Master Michael Linden of Midgard. The two of them shall be guests in Asgard for the time being."

The queen smiled kindly at the two of them and gave a nod of greeting.

"You are most welcome in our home, Midgardians," she told them. "I am Frigga, queen of Asgard."

Jenna bowed deeply, and Michael followed suit.

"It is an honour to make your acquaintance, my lady," Jenna said respectfully.

Odin gave a nod, and one of the young men came forward; the one in the red cape.

He was tall, broad-shouldered and muscular, with blond hair that fell to the end of his neck and a short beard to match. He had cyan blue eyes, with the familiar glint of one raised in priviledge, and in one hand he carried what appeared to be a large iron hammer.

"Greetings, Midgardians," he greeted them with a deep, cordial voice. "I am Thor Odinson, firstborn son of Odin and heir to the throne of Asgard. I am sure that both of you will find it most comfortable here."

As he finished, he kissed Jenna's hand in a gentlemanly fashion before giving a slight bow of welcome to Michael.

Michael looked slightly frazzled, but Jenna was unfazed. She knew the customs of Asgard.

Jenna curtsied to Thor politely.

"My deepest thanks, son of Odin," she said with a smile.

Despite his lion-like appearance, Thor's smile was kind and reassuring.

Odin nodded again, and the young man in green stepped forward.

He was tall, thin and lean, with pale skin, defined, chiselled features, and thick black hair slicked back to his scalp. But what was striking about him was his eyes - eyes that were light blue, like chips of ice, but appeared to be a pale green in a certain light.

Eyes that were now fixed squarely on Jenna.

However, his gaze was not predatory...in fact, it was anything but. The younger prince looked...fascinated, if not somewhat frightened. Like he needed to be comforted.

Jenna smiled at him.

"And may I ask your name, Your Highness?" she inquired, still as polite as ever.

"Loki, milady," he answered. His voice was soft, silvery, and gentle.

"The other son of Odin..." Jenna mused, almost to herself.

"Yes," he said simply, but his eyes betrayed the meaning behind it.

His gaze never left Jenna's face as he took her hand with gentle, elegant fingers and slowly raised it to his lips.

The moment his lips touched her hand, Jenna felt a sudden chill, raising goosebumps on the back of her neck.

When he released her hand, all at once the world started turning again.

Jenna caught herself and resumed her grandiose courtesy.

"It is a pleasure to meet you...son of Odin," she said lightly.

"The pleasure is mine...Miss Jenna," Loki replied.

~.


	2. Chapter 2: Dance With the Devil

(A/N: Please note that the 'THEN' portions of this story, aka the flashbacks, are NOT in chronological order, while the 'NOW' sections, aka the present, are.)

~.~

CHAPTER TWO: Dance With the Devil

~.~

NOW

Jenna sat at her desk, staring mindlessly at the constantly repeating surveillance footage from the previous night.

It couldn't be him.

There was no way possible that the madman whom had brainwashed Barton and Selvig, killed two S.H.I.E.L.D agents and stolen the Tesseract could have been Loki.

He couldn't have changed so much...

She wanted to know what had happened to him. What had happened to the gentle, kind Loki she had first met in Asgard...

She was suddenly driven out of her reverie by a familiar voice.

"Agent Campbell?" Coulson said, catching her attention. "I've got Agent Romanoff on the line."

That woke Jenna up.

Natasha Romanoff was a superior S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and more or less Jenna's closest friend. The two of them had gradually befriended each other shortly after Jenna had started her internship, and now that she had been promoted, the two of them were almost as close as sisters; despite the fact that Natasha still terrified her from time to time.

Jenna leaped to her feet and snatched the phone from Coulson.

"Tasha?" she asked into the phone, using her nickname for Natasha; who only let the people closest to her call her that.

"Jen, thank God," said the voice of the older woman. "Somebody sane to talk to."

"Are you in the middle of an interrogation?" Jenna asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Natasha said. "Relax. This moron is giving me everything."

"Coulson called you, didn't he?" Jenna said, giving Coulson a reprehenisive look.

"Of course he did," Natasha replied. "Look, tell him that he can't pull me out of this right now."

"Tasha..." Jenna said. "There's something important I should tell you."

She took a deep breath and told her.

"It's Clint. He's been compromised."

Natasha was silent, but Jenna could tell that, for once, she was affected. She knew that she would be. Jenna and Natasha were close, to be sure; but there was no one in the world that Natasha was closer to than Clint Barton, and Jenna knew it.

"Give the phone to Coulson," Natasha said. "Tell him I'm putting him on hold."

Jenna sighed as the hold music came on.

She clearly recognized Natasha's 'time-to-kick-some-ass' voice.

"She had to put you on hold," Jenna told Coulson flatly, holding the phone out to him.

She sauntered back to her desk, leaving Coulson standing there, jamming to the upbeat pop music that was now pouring out of the cell phone.

No sooner had she sat down at her desk that her own cell phone buzzed. She picked it up and checked the I.D.

UNCLE MICHAEL

She rolled her eyes and answered it.

"Hello?" she said, sounding exasperated.

"Jenna," Michael said on the other end. "Are you on the Helicarrier right now?"

"No, Michael, I'm on Mars," Jenna replied sarcastically. "Where else would I be?!"

"Alright, alright, no need to get touchy," Michael said. "Listen. I'm calling because I just got an invitation to a museum opening in Stuttgart, Germany, addressed to both of us. It's tonight."

"Tonight?!" Jenna said incredulously. "That's impossible! How are we supposed to get halfway around the world in one day?"

"You'd be surprised..." Michael said.

Jenna groaned in frustration.

"Fine..." she muttered. "But I have nothing to wear!"

~.~

THEN

Jenna gasped as two servants laced her into the Asgardian garment.

"How is everything, Jenna?" Lady Sif asked her from the other side of the scrim.

"It's...hard to say..." Jenna choked out. "Is this what all Asgardian women wear?"

"Well, not all of them..." Sif replied. "Wait a minute. Can you breathe at all?"

"It's...growing difficult..." Jenna wheezed.

Sif rolled her eyes.

"Hretha!" she chastised the servant. "I thought I told you to leave the corset. She's mortal; if you lace it up all the way, it'll shatter her ribcage."

"Terribly sorry, milady," the maid said as she hurriedly loosened Jenna's corset.

Jenna gulped in a deep breath of air, relieved.

"Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it," Sif replied, with a rare smile.

Days earlier, Thor had introduced Jenna to his closest friends, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.

The Warriors Three consisted of Volstagg the Valiant, a rather large, jovial man with red hair and a long beard to match, who was almost always eating something; Fandral the Dashing, a self-proclaimed "ladies man" of the court who sported blond hair, and a matching goatee and mustache, and was often seen cavorting with the ladies of the court; and Hogun the Grim, a strong, silent warrior with dark hair and somewhat Mongolian features.

All three of them were kind and just, and friendly to Jenna, but none of Thor's companions had befriended Jenna as quickly as Lady Sif.

Sif was the only female warrior in Asgard, and had been inducted when she was a year younger than Jenna (eighteen, in Asgardian years). She was often stoic, but highly intelligent, skilled with a blade and as beautiful as a sunset; with her light, distinctly Asgardian complexion, piercing hazel eyes and long, shining golden hair.

Sif was famous throughout the nine realms for her golden hair.

She had sensed that Jenna was out of sorts in Asgard, and, in a rare show of kindness, reached out to the young Midgardian. Shortly thereafter, the two of them grew as thick as thieves as Sif taught Jenna how to defend herself...and Jenna taught Sif about all of the great things on Midgard.

"Okay...I think I'm ready," Jenna said once she had been properly put into the dress, corset-less.

"Come on out, then," Sif said, and Jenna slowly stepped out from behind the scrim.

Queen Frigga had sent the traditional Asgardian gown for Jenna to wear to the ball that was being held that night. It was floor-length and elegant, with long sleeves that ended in smooth silk bells around her lower arms. It was low-cut and off-the-shoulder, but had two thin, almost transparent swatches of gold silk covering her shoulders, almost like a wrap. The fabric of the dress shone gold under the lights. The handmaidens had brushed out her hair, so that it fell in chestnut brown waves down to the middle of her back. Around the crown of her head was nestled a gold coronet that was engraved with laurel leaves. It circled the back of her head, but ended at her temples in fancy little curls, leaving what of her forehead that wasn't covered by her hair exposed.

"How do I look?" Jenna asked, a little self-conscious in the elegant garment.

Sif smiled at her.

"Beautiful," she replied. "Like an Asgardian princess."

Jenna smiled and gave a small laugh.

"You're just saying that..." she said.

"No, not at all," Sif interjected, shaking her head. "I mean it."

She smiled again and added, "Everyone at court is going to love you, Jenna."

Jenna couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you, Sif," she said gratefully.

Turning slightly, Jenna caught her reflection in one of the tall mirrors that hung on the walls of the dressing chamber. She really did look beautiful...more beautiful than she suspected she had ever looked in her life up until then.

However...it was hard for her to really feel beautiful standing next to Sif.

Sif was wearing an Asgardian dress that had a more red-carpet feel to it than Jenna's formal gown. Sif's dress was silver, floor-length, and no sleeves but a swatch of silver fabric that wrapped around her shoulders. It seemed to glitter under the lights. To top it all off, she wore a silver headpiece engraved with entwining ribbons that adorned and complimented her golden hair perfectly.

She was stunning.

Sif seemed to sense Jenna's insecurity, and shot her an encouraging smile.

"Come on," she said, taking Jenna's hand. "It's just about time."

Jenna nodded, and let the lady warrior lead her out of the dressing chamber and toward the grand hall.

~.~

NOW

Jenna rustled hopelessly through her cabinet, trying in vain to find something suitable to wear to the museum opening before the private jet arrived to take her and Michael to Germany.

It was fruitless.

Jenna let out a groan of exasperation and put her head in her hands.

For the hundredth time that day, she wished Natasha were with her.

She would know exactly what to do in this sticky fashion situation.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Jenna opened it and was greeted by the ever-emotionless face of Phil Coulson.

"Hi, Coulson," Jenna sighed, underwhelmed. "What is it?"

"A package just arrived for you," Coulson replied emotionlessly.

Jenna raised an eyebrow at the large white box that Coulson held in his hands, before she deftly took it from him.

"Thank you," she told him simply with a nod before closing the door behind her.

She put the box down on her bed and lifted the lid.

In that moment, she could have sworn her heart stopped for a full second.

Inside the box was a beautiful, semi-formal dark blue dress. It was knee-length, had no sleeves, and seemed as if it had been made for Jenna.

She was completely spellbound as she slowly lifted the dress out of the box. It was as if fate had answered her desperate plea for help.

With a devilish grin, she turned and practically danced behind her scrim.

~.~

One surprisingly short trip by jet later, Jenna and Michael arrived at the museum in Stuttgart, Germany; Michael in a slick, well-tailored suit, and Jenna in the blue dress, with some jewelery here and there.

"Stuttgart, huh?" Jenna said to her uncle as they approached the extravagant building. "I knew there was a reason I took German as an elective."

Michael chuckled.

"Trust me," he told his niece with a grin. "I do believe that this will be a night to remember."

"So do I," Jenna responded. "By the way, who was it that sent you that invitation?"

"No idea," Michael said. "But, I suspect that your aunt was involved."

They both shuddered.

"Good call," Jenna said.

If Michael had assumed that his wife, Cassandra, had sent the invitation, no wonder he had been so gung-ho to go on such short notice.

The two of them walked into the museum, which was full of people and was decorated with several ancient-looking artifacts, among them old relics and marble statues. There was waltzing, champagne, even a string quartet.

"Wow," Jenna said in awe. "They really pulled out all the stops with this one."

"Indeed," Michael said as he snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray and took a gulp.

Jenna rolled her eyes and laughed. Just a typical night out for Michael Linden.

"Well," Michael went on, "I'm going to take a look around. But I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"No problem," Jenna said.

And with that, Michael swept off with his champagne to examine the relics.

As he left, Jenna headed toward a particularly striking painting in a brass frame that hung on the wall, close to an elegant marble staircase that led up to the balcony of the top level of the museum.

She had only stood alone in front of the painting for a few moments when suddenly a silvery voice caught her attention.

"Enjoying the evening?"

Jenna turned to look at the man standing behind her and instantly froze as she recognized him.

She found herself staring into the face of a tall man with pale skin and shoulder-length black hair, dressed in an immaculate tailored black suit and trench coat, with a pale yellow and green patterned scarf draped about his neck. Eyes like chips of ice stared out at her from a chiselled face.

Loki.

"It's you..." Jenna breathed, just loud enough for him to hear.

He smirked, a smirk that was both unsettling and familiar to her.

"Care to dance?" he asked smoothly, offering her his hand in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Do I have a choice?" Jenna shot back, glaring at him coldly.

Loki chuckled, a sinister sound.

"If you did..." he said, "...would I be leading?"

And just like that, suddenly she was dancing with him; her hand at his shoulder as he gently held her free hand in his, the other at her waist as they waltzed across the floor with captivating grace.

Jenna felt the breath leave her lungs.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him softly as she caught it again.

"Isn't it obvious?" Loki replied, spinning her under his arm before pulling her back to him. "I came here to see you."

Jenna felt his eyes scan her quickly before he smirked and added, "Glad you like the dress. It suits you."

It hit her like a freight train.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she accused him coldly. "You sent the invitation. You sent me this dress."

Loki simply nodded indifferently.

"You wanted me to come here," Jenna finished icily.

"To be honest, I'm shocked you didn't figure it out sooner," Loki quipped, waltzing her a little faster across the floor in a manner that bordered on dizzying.

Completing a turn, he suddenly pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her there and making her press her hands against his chest to catch herself.

"You know me, don't you?" Loki crooned into her ear.

Chills ran down Jenna's spine.

"Yes, I do..." she whispered, lifting her head to look him in the eyes.

"And I know that you always have a plan," she added.

She paused before asking, "What are you really doing here?"

Loki raised an eyebrow at her.

"You wanted me to come here," Jenna went on, "because you were here anyway. Now what are you planning?"

A wicked grin slowly spread across the trickster's face.

"Ah..." he said, impressed. "Now that's my Jenna."

Goosebumps stood up on Jenna's arms as Loki said her name. The response was almost involuntary now.

Then, all at once, she realized that they had stopped dancing.

And Loki held what appeared to be an Asgardian walking stick in one hand.

Seeing the blue handle, Jenna realized in horror what it was.

The staff.

Before she could cry out or protest, Loki turned on his heel and struck the guard standing nearest to them across the face with the end of the staff.

Jenna screamed, covering her mouth with both hands to stifle it.

Everyone in the crowd screamed, too.

Due to her lack of weapons, Jenna could only stand and watch, horrified, as Loki seized an older man from the crowd and threw him down onto a marble slab in the middle of the ballroom floor.

Loki reached into his coat and pulled out a small, mechanical handheld object. A thin needle extended from the end of it, which Loki swiftly jabbed into the man's eye.

Everyone in the crowd screamed in horror, and started fleeing for the doors.

Michael came careening down the staircase and found Jenna.

"Run!" he told her. "Go! Now!"

Jenna nodded and followed the terrified museum-goers, sprinting in three-inch heels.

Out of nowhere, a hand suddenly seized Jenna's arm, pulling her to an abrupt halt and causing her to gasp in shock and fear.

She knew without turning around that it was Loki.

"You're not going anywhere, darling," he said softly into her ear. "At least...not without me."

So saying, he pulled her back to stand beside him, her hand still locked in his grip, holding her arm across his chest the way a king would when escorting his queen; his other arm moving to the small of her back.

She walked alongside him, with no other choice, toward the open double doors that led out onto the streets of Stuttgart.

As they walked, Loki's tailored suit and coat melded away into his trademark Asgardian armour and horned helmet, using magic.

At the same time, Jenna became aware that her blue dress had transformed into an entirely different garment; one that she recognized as soon as it materialized around her.

The dress from that first ball...

~.~

THEN

Sif and Jenna entered the main hall to find it teaming with people; all drinking, dancing or feasting in overall merriment.

And Thor was in the centre of it all; as usual.

Of course, that was the way he liked it.

Jenna could also see Volstagg animatedly telling one of his famous battle tales while desecrating a roast boar, with Hogun listening intently, and Fandral sweet-talking a group of young ladies.

Odin and Frigga sat side-by-side at the head of the table, smiling happily.

And on the other side of the table, Michael was laughing and drinking with some Asgardian warriors.

Jenna sighed and rolled her eyes with a half-smile.

Her uncle was clearly enjoying himself.

"I feel so out of place..." Jenna said softly.

Sif smiled encouragingly.

"You'll get used to it, trust me," she told her. "Now, I should go and keep an eye on Thor. And you should find Loki."

Jenna smiled, almost involuntarily.

Sif, like most of Thor's companions, had noticed how close Jenna had grown to Loki in the mere weeks she and her uncle had spent in Asgard.

It had all started the day after Jenna and Michael had first come to Asgard. Jenna had wandered into the castle's library and inadvertently found Loki practicing magic there. She was fascinated by his abilities, and they spoke about his Aesir gifts, and how he and his fellow deities were perceived by Midgardians. Ever since then, there had been something between them that no one could really define.

Often, the two of them would spend their afternoons just sitting out on the terrace of the castle together, conversing about everything from the differences between Asgard and Midgard to their taste in literature. Sif may have befriended Jenna, but there was no one in Asgard she was closer to than Loki.

As Sif walked away from her, Jenna scanned the room with her eyes looking for Loki.

Her eyes drew over the crowd of merry-makers on the dance floor and at the banquet table, going directly to the side of the room, away from all the excitement.

Sure enough, within moments those recognizable horns came into view.

Jenna smiled with endearment at the sight of them, and started across the room toward him.

As she walked, Volstagg, Fandral and Thor all shot smiles and greetings to her. In response, she smiled at each of them and gave them a small wave.

When she reached the other side of the room, Loki stood with his back to her, his gaze fixated on the window.

To her surprise, he started slightly when she placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"There you are," she said with a smile.

Loki chuckled and smiled back.

"Miss Jenna," he said. "I'm impressed. Not many have the ability to sneak up on me."

Jenna laughed.

"Well, you know I take pride in being able to sneak up on people," she replied.

"That, you do," Loki said with a grin.

Jenna grinned back at him.

"And how many times have I reminded you to just call me Jenna?" she added playfully.

Loki chuckled in response.

Both of them glanced over to where Thor was enjoying his position as the centre of attention, and the life of the party.

Loki rolled his eyes.

"Behold," he told Jenna, aside. "The wild animals heralding the upcoming celebration. How very primitive."

Jenna smothered a laugh and gave him a playful shove; which did little against his armour.

"Stop it," she said. "He's your brother. And he deserves a little limelight. He is going to become king soon."

"Don't remind me..." Loki muttered.

"Loki," Jenna said. "I know that Thor can be a brute at times, but...perhaps once he's king, he'll...clean up his act."

"I shall believe that when I see it," Loki replied.

Jenna nodded in agreement.

Glancing over at him, she felt a smile creep onto her face.

"You know," she said, "you should really get out of this corner and talk to somebody. Otherwise you might go mad."

"I do talk to someone," he said matter-of-factly.

She gave him an incredulous smile.

"Someone besides me," she said. "Like Thor, or one of the Warriors..."

Loki raised an eyebrow at her.

Jenna caught the unspoken message almost instantly and sighed in defeat.

"I know, but it's the best I can do," she conceded.

Loki smirked at her.

"I believe you can do better than that," he told her; and there was something in his voice that captured Jenna's full attention.

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

Much to her surprise, Loki raised his hand with a flourish and offered it to her in a gentlemanly fashion.

"May I have this dance...Jenna?" he asked her with a coy glint in his eyes.

Jenna smiled at him to mask the fact that she was clearly flustered.

"Absolutely," she said as she took his hand.

He led her out onto the floor, still holding her hand in his. His free hand moved to her waist, and hers went to his shoulder as they began to waltz.

After a silent moment, Loki smirked at her.

"You look as if you're thinking something," he said softly; just loud enough for her to hear.

Jenna managed a shy little smile.

"I'm thinking that...I've never danced before," she responded quietly.

Loki raised one eyebrow and smiled back at her.

"Just follow my lead," he whispered into her ear as the dance drew them closer together.

And she did.

They danced for what felt like all night, with nothing in the world to them, but each other; her chocolate brown eyes never leaving his ice blue ones, and vice versa.

"I can't imagine a night where you could look more beautiful..." Loki told her softly as they waltzed.

Jenna couldn't reply. The motion of the dance, the blue of his eyes and his arms around her was enough to leave her breathless.

Before long, almost everyone had noticed them dancing together.

Neither of them cared.

~.


	3. Chapter 3: From the Last to the First

(A/N: Image credit to fictionfrek101)

~.~

CHAPTER THREE: From the Last to the First

~.~

NOW

Jenna continued to walk alongside Loki toward the square outside the museum; her hand still locked in his grip, both of them looking regal and majestic and terrifying in their Asgardian attire.

It was chaos. People were screaming and running for their lives in all directions.

Jenna's eyes desperately scanned the crowd for Michael, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Loki raised his staff and fired a blast of cosmic energy at an approaching car. The vehicle flipped over, sparks flying.

Jenna closed her eyes. This could not be happening.

But as she opened them again, it suddenly became horrifying clear to her that this was real.

"Kneel before us!" Loki commanded the crowd.

Several duplicates of him magically appeared around the crowd, preventing them from running any further.

"I said...KNEEL!"

His voice echoed, loud and sharp, throughout the entire square.

Jenna got chills. She had never heard him scream so loudly before.

The crowd of people all fell to their knees in front of them.

Jenna suddenly felt something that she had never felt before...powerful. Superior. Great. But will all of that came an overwhelming fear: fear of the power that she was suddenly feeling.

Loki, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoyed the spotlight; revelling in this terrified submission.

"Is not this simpler?" he addressed the crowd with flourish.

"Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end...you will always kneel."

Despite the fact that she was practically paralyzed with fear, Jenna couldn't help but feel slightly impressed by Loki's eloquent speech.

For a moment, all was silent as the terrified Germans remained on their knees, and Loki and Jenna stood over them.

Then Loki leaned toward her slightly and spoke softly into her ear, just loud enough for her to here, and her alone.

"Do you see them?" he whispered into her ear. "They are yours. Yours to command; to rule. You will be their queen...my queen, and they will loathe you for it. Is it not fitting, that one of their own shall rule over them? In the end it will not matter; for it is I who rules you."

Chills ran down Jenna's spine as he went on.

"Do you not understand? I am to be king of this realm, and a king needs a queen. You are to be worshipped; you, my darling, are a queen through and through. If you were mine, you would want for nothing. Marry me. Be my queen. I'll give you the stars…for you truly are the most exquisite creature I have laid eyes upon. To Midgard, you are insignificant. To me...you are eternal."

Jenna remembered a time when she longed to hear him say those words. When she would have melted in an instant for him. But those days were over now. Now...he had become something else entirely.

And yet, she had nothing to say.

Suddenly, Loki's attention was caught by an elderly man in the crowd whom had gotten to his feet.

"I do not kneel to men like you," the man said.

"There are no men like me," Loki retorted with a smug smile.

"There are always men like you," the old man shot back.

Jenna looked at the man with genuine sympathy in her eyes. This was clearly a man whom had lived through revolutions before; and wasn't about to see another one.

Loki chuckled.

"Look to your elder, people," he told the crowd. "Let him be an example."

As he spoke, cosmic energy started to swirl around the staff.

Jenna closed her eyes.

Suddenly, just as Loki fired the blast at the old man, something red, white and blue blocked its path. It deflected the blast back at Loki, who released Jenna as he went sprawling backwards.

Jenna stood back, opening her eyes in surprise.

What had saved the man was a shield, held by a man in a patriotic-coloured spandex costume.

"The last time I was in Germany and there was one man standing above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing," the man said with a grin.

"The soldier," Loki growled at the man; as if he knew him somehow. "The man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time."

"Loki," a woman's voice said from above. "Drop your weapon and surrender, now." It was coming from a speaker system in an airship that had appeared in the sky.

Jenna recognized the voice immediately.

Natasha.

Loki clambered to his feet and raised his staff. Chaos broke out again as he began to fight the soldier. Jenna took the opportunity and ran, toward the airship; the Quinjet.

As she ran, she was intercepted in the crowd by Michael.

"Jenna!" he exclaimed as he reached her. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"I'm fine," Jenna replied. "Did you call in the reinforcements?"

"Of course I did," Michael responded. "We've got to get out of here, fast."

Even as he spoke, a ladder dropped down from the open hanger of the Quinjet.

"Climb up!" Natasha shouted from inside; hidden from sight.

"Let's go!" Michael exclaimed.

"Not sure how I'm going to climb up there in this dress..." Jenna muttered.

"No time!" Michael squawked, and up they went; with surprising speed.

"You guys are lucky we got here in time," Natasha said as they climbed.

"Boy, am I glad to see you," Jenna called up to her in gratitude.

Just as they climbed into the hanger and Michael was pulling the ladder up, the radio of the Quinjet filled with static behind them.

But it wasn't static.

It was rock music.

"Hello, Tony," Natasha said with a smirk from the controls.

A smile broke across Jenna's face.

Tony Stark was a multibillionaire, in charge of Stark Industries; also known as the superhero Iron Man. He was also the man whom had given Jenna her internship at S.H.I.E.L.D in the first place.

He was now flying down into the square to come to the soldier's aid in his flying metal suit. He took Loki down with ease, and Jenna watched from above as both Iron Man and the soldier stood over Loki.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games," Jenna heard Tony's voice say over Natasha's radio, which was once again functioning properly.

She swallowed a laugh.

Typical Tony.

Much to her surprise, Loki rose his hands in surrender. However, there was something unsettling about the smirk that lingered on his face.

"Good move," Tony said.

"Mr. Stark," the soldier greeted him.

"Captain," Tony responded.

That made it click in Jenna's head. He was no ordinary soldier.

He was Captain America, the super-soldier.

Jenna had heard Agent Coulson geeking out about the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D had recovered Captain America frozen in a state of suspended animation in Antarctica weeks earlier.

She had never imagined that he had been telling the truth.

Michael nodded to Jenna, and she headed into the cockpit with Natasha.

"Glad you made it out of there," the older woman told her.

"Thanks," Jenna replied.

Then Natasha glanced at Jenna over her shoulder and got a good look at her.

"What are you wearing?" she asked incredulously.

Jenna rolled her eyes.

"It's a long story..." she groaned.

Surprisingly, Natasha smirked.

"Good thing I carry a spare suit everywhere," she said with a grin. "Shut the bay doors, you can change in here."

Jenna sighed in relief.

Good old Natasha.

"Thanks," she told her with a smile. "I can always count on you."

~.~

THEN

It was the day after Jenna and Michael had first arrived in Asgard.

Jenna had woken up early, and Michael was still fast asleep; as was most of the castle.

Bored out of her mind, Jenna decided to explore the castle; at least to the best of her ability.

Dressed in her Midgardian clothes, Jenna wandered through the halls of Asgard, taking in her surroundings and feeling very, very small all the while.

She saw elegant, hand-painted portraits of former monarchs and warriors of Asgard, all surrounding a massive, gold-framed painting of Odin and his family.

Jenna found herself stopping to gaze at it. The artist had done their work well, capturing the features of each of the members of the royal family to perfection: Odin's wise gaze from his one eye and regal features, Frigga's warm, loving smile and kind eyes, Thor's cheerful grin and glittering eyes.

But what struck her the most was how Loki was portrayed.

The painting captured his likeness perfectly, to be sure, but he looked so...out of place.

Jenna saw the mischievous glint in the painting's ice-blue eyes, but the expression on the rest of his face was...sad. Lost. The face of someone without a friend in the world.

These conflicting emotions gave Loki's representation a complex look, that mystified Jenna.

Suddenly, a soft rustle caused Jenna to turn away from the painting.

The sound had come from a nearby doorway, which Jenna approached; treading lightly.

Much to her surprise and awe, the doorway led into the master library of the castle.

The walls were covered by rows and rows of shelves, each of them stacked full with books.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Slowly, she walked further inside the library, looking around at her surroundings as she did so.

Like the rest of the castle, the library was elegantly decorated and furnished. It also appeared to be empty.

Then Jenna heard a sound from further inside the library; something that sounded like a gentle wind rustling through trees. Her curiosity peaked, she slowly moved toward the source of the sound.

As she walked, as slowly as possible to prevent any sound that would give away her presence, the rustling sound repeated, several times, at regular intervals.

When Jenna finally looked around the corner, she was mesmerized by what she saw.

Loki stood in the centre of the room, beside a table; on which a large, thick book lay open.

Every so often, he would glance at the pages of the book for no more than a second at a time, before raising his elegant hands in front of him and turning one hand in a circular motion over the other, which lay flat.

The result was a brief shimmer of cosmic energy that generated a flicker of what appeared to be an exact duplicate of Loki standing just opposite him.

Each time, the clone appeared faintly for a moment, then flickered and disappeared.

Jenna realized immediately what he was doing.

He was practicing magic.

And that book he was reading from was most likely a spell book.

Jenna smiled as she slowly, silently moved around the corner completely and approached him, while his back was still to her.

At first, he didn't see her.

"Your Highness?" she inquired, speaking just loudly enough to get his attention.

His head whipped right around towards her, and he slowly lowered his hands. Once he registered who she was, he relaxed.

"Miss Jenna..." he said, fidgeting slightly. "What brings you here?"

"I heard something," Jenna replied, somewhat timidly, glancing at the open book.

A half-smile twitched on the corner of the young prince's mouth.

"Very few have the ability to sneak up on me," he told her. "How...long have you been standing there?"

Jenna couldn't help but smile.

"A little while," she responded. "If you don't mind my asking, are you...practising magic?"

To her surprise, he laughed; albeit a nervous little 'ehehe.'

"I was, if I'm to be honest; yes," Loki told her, his hand lingering at the back of his neck.

Jenna wondered if she was misconstruing his body language. Was he nervous around her?

After the composed way he had greeted her the previous day, she found it hard to believe.

As if compelled, she smiled at him.

"I believed that you were an Aesir; a mage, Your Highness," she told him. "Now I know that it is true."

"Did you?" Loki replied, raising an eyebrow with that now-familiar glint in his eyes. "And how would you acquire this knowledge, Midgardian?"

"From books," Jenna responded. "On Midgard, we have many books that supply us with knowledge of Asgard, its people and its customs."

Loki looked impressed.

"Interesting," he mused. "Simply out of curiosity...how do they describe me?"

Jenna was slightly amused by his question, but did her best to hide it. He was a prince, after all.

"Well..." she said, "For one thing, they describe you as a master of magic...as a trickster, and a notoriously good liar. But...they also say that you have a strong heart...brave, loyal, and kind...and, of course, the God of Mischief."

She smiled at him slightly as she finished.

His eyes studied her face as she spoke. He seemed pleased by this description.

"Well, then," he said with a small grin. "It seems that the Midgardians know more about us than I had thought..."

Jenna's smiled widened.

"I suppose so..." she said, somewhat quietly. "Your Highness."

An odd, perplexed sort of look crossed his face for a moment, then he smiled at her, warmly.

"Miss Jenna," he said, "you are a guest in my father's home, and mine, and for that, you need not use formalities to address me. However, I make no promises about my brother..."

Jenna gave a small laugh at that, and kept smiling at him.

"Very well, then," she said, "Loki."

Loki was well-known on Midgard for being able to conceal his true emotions when he wanted to. But in that moment, something crossed Loki's face as she said his name for the first time; a look in his eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared. Something that she couldn't quite place.

She shrugged it off, and continued.

"If that is the case," she went on, "then...you don't have to call me 'Miss Jenna' all the time. If you like...you can just call me Jenna."

He just smiled at her, and chuckled.

~.~

NOW

Jenna stood in the Quinjet, now dressed in one of Natasha's catsuits. It was tight, uncomfortable and not her style, but it was better than running around in an Asgardian ball gown.

Loki sat on the other side of the craft, strapped into his seat. Michael kept an eye on him, albeit a bit uneasily.

While Natasha piloted the Quinjet, Jenna conversed with Tony and Captain America.

"There's no way he'd surrender so easily," Jenna was telling Tony. "He's planning something, I can tell."

"I think she's right," the Captain agreed.

Granted, the Cap had been glancing at Jenna rather awkwardly ever since he'd first seen her emerge from the cockpit in that catsuit, but Jenna assumed that was because the guy had been frozen since 1942 and was still incredibly awkward around women.

"Relax," Tony said. "Look, I believe you, Jenna. Something about this guy rubs me the wrong way, but sadly, I can't do anything about it right now. Fury's got my hands tied."

Jenna raised an eyebrow at him.

"Since when does Tony Stark let anybody tie his hands?" she asked incredulously.

Tony paused, as if he were in thought, then opened his mouth to say something; but nothing came out.

Jenna rolled her eyes.

"Don't answer that..." she groaned.

"Keep an eye on him," Tony told Jenna, nodding toward where Loki was sitting.

"Why do I have to do it?" Jenna asked, folding her arms stubbornly.

"Because your uncle looks like he's about to have a heart attack," Tony retorted, with his trademark devil-may-care attitude.

Jenna rolled her eyes again.

"Fine," she hissed, and stalked across the floor to reluctantly sit beside Loki.

Gratefully, Michael got up and headed over to Cap and Tony; regrettably leaving Jenna more or less alone with the Aesir.

It was only a matter of moments before Jenna felt the familiar sensation of Loki's eyes on her.

She resisted her natural instinct to look at him as best she could, instead staring straight ahead of her at the wall of the craft.

"Those clothes do not suit you," he told her, quite out of the blue.

She turned her head swiftly to look at him, incredulous.

Her eyes met his for only an instant, but it was enough. She looked away again, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I know," she said, her voice low. "But it's the best I can do, no thanks to you..."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him raise an eyebrow, in that familiar, coy little way he always did.

"You think I enjoy this," he said quietly. "Do you honestly believe that I enjoy causing you pain?"

She didn't say anything, nor did she look at him.

"I don't," he went on.

"Why should I believe you?" she snapped, without looking at him.

He was silent for a moment, then he responded.

"I am the God of Mischief to you; to the mortals," he told her softly, so that only she could hear. "But you must believe that I try to be honest with you…and you alone."

He was doing it again. Trying to convince her that he was still the Loki she once knew. But she knew it wasn't true. She wasn't going to buy it, like she almost had in Stuttgart. She said nothing.

Her silence was getting to him, and she knew it.

"You still don't understand," he said, his voice disturbingly quiet.

All at once, he took her hand; just quickly enough to startle her, but not harshly enough to make her believe she was in danger. The action made her turn toward him. He wanted her to look at him.

"You are my downfall," he hissed at her, softly; looking her straight in the eyes as he spoke. "If anyone was to ever take you away from me, know this…I would find you again, no matter what obstacle stood in my way; no matter how great an army I had to vanquish. I will come for you. I will always find you."

For a moment, she just stared at him. Once again, he had left her speechless; professing his love for her and threatening her at the same time. And there was no way to respond to that.

Suddenly, Jenna became aware of the dark storm clouds that had rolled in around the Quinjet; visible through the windows. The rest of the sky, however, was crystal clear.

"Where is this coming from?" Natasha wondered aloud as lightning began to crackle through the sky around them.

Loki looked more tense than anyone else.

"What's the matter?" Cap asked him, off-hand. "Scared of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki responded, his eyes fixed on the sky.

No one but Jenna caught what he meant.

Thor. Coming to rescue his brother.

Since old habits die hard, Jenna gave Loki's hand a comforting squeeze.

"You'll be okay," she told him softly before withdrawing her hand and going over to the Captain, Tony and Michael.

Tony started to lower the ramp.

"Wait!" Cap cautioned him. "He might be friendly!"

"Not if he's here to rescue our prisoner," Tony shot back.

Suddenly, a pair of hands appeared and ripped the door of the Quinjet open.

It was Thor.

Before Tony could react, Thor flung Mjolnir and it hit him full force. The impact sent him flying backward and colliding with the Captain. The two of them landed in a heap.

Michael pulled Jenna out of the line of fire, despite her protests.

Thor used the opportunity to grab his brother. Mjolnir flew back to his hand and he jumped out of the Quinjet; taking Loki with him.

"No!" Jenna shouted.

Tony immediately leaped to his feet.

"Let's go, kiddo," he said as he grabbed Jenna; who held on for dear life as they flew after them.

Michael was dumbstruck.

Cap grabbed a parachute.

"Are you out of your mind?" Natasha demanded. "Maybe you should sit this one out, soldier. They're gods."

"There's only one God, ma'am," the Cap told her, "and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

With that, he donned the parachute and leaped from the Quinjet.

"Good thing Jenna wasn't around to hear that," Michael told Natasha, "or she'd have strung him by his toenails."

Natasha nodded incredulously.


	4. Chapter 4: Secrets Hidden in the Past

~.~

CHAPTER FOUR: Secrets Hidden in the Past

~.~

NOW

From her perch on Tony's back, Jenna could see where Thor and Loki had landed on a mountain hillside.

"I can see them!" she told Tony, speaking loudly over the wind. "Drop me down!"

"If you say so, kiddo," Tony replied. "Try not to get killed."

Subtly, he flew lower and placed Jenna down on the hillside before jetting off in another direction.

Jenna shook her head.

Tony was probably planning something.

From her hiding place behind a rock formation, she could hear Thor and Loki talking.

"Where is the Tesseract?" Thor was demanding.

"I missed you, too..." Loki said flatly.

"Answer me!" Thor shouted.

Loki was unfazed.

"With the Bifrost destroyed," he said, avoiding the subject, "how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here; your precious Earth?"

Thor was silent for a moment, but chose not to answer the question.

"We thought you dead," Thor told his brother.

"Did you mourn?" Loki questioned him. His voice sounded...sad.

"We all did," Thor replied solemnly.

A familiar shock of sadness ran down Jenna's spine. Hearing Thor's words brought it all back.

She remembered.

She remembered everything.

She remembered the anger and pain; the rage, and the crashing of metal against stone.

She remembered the explosion, the devastation, and the snap of a bowstring.

She remembered the endless tears that streamed down her face.

She remembered the fall.

And she remembered hope.

Above all, she would always remember the hope...

~.~

THEN

When Jenna opened her eyes, she was lying on her back on what was left of the rainbow bridge.

With some difficulty, she slowly sat up and turned to look behind her.

What she saw nearly froze her in terror.

Where the Bifrost used to be, all that was left was a jagged, broken edge; a sudden cliff ending the bridge.

And Thor and Loki were hanging from it.

Out of nowhere, Odin had appeared; and he stood on the edge of what remained of the bridge. He held Thor's arm in an iron grip; while Thor held onto Gungnir, which Loki dangled from the end of.

Jenna cast her bow aside and rushed to stand beside Odin.

"I could have done it, Father!" Loki cried in desperation. "I could have done it! For you!"

He was silent for a moment, before saying, "For all of us."

Seeing him so broken, so completely destroyed, Jenna felt like something inside of her had been crushed. Tears stung the back of her eyes.

She turned and looked up at Odin, in a silent plea for him to do something, anything, to reassure Loki of his worth.

Instead, the Allfather dealt the final blow.

"No, Loki."

Jenna's heart broke in two, and so did Loki's.

Thor saw the look in his brother's eyes, and recognized it even before Jenna did.

"Loki, no..." Thor said, but it was too late.

Before any of them could do or say anything, Loki let go of the staff.

"NO!" Thor cried as he helplessly watched his brother fall into the empty abyss below.

"No..." Odin said softly, in horrified realization of what he had done.

Jenna couldn't bring herself to cry, scream, or even speak. She felt as if her throat had closed off, and her whole world were crashing down around her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she fell to her knees with a strangled sob.

He was gone.

Just like that, the person that meant the most to her in all of the nine realms was gone.

"Loki..."

What was left of her heart fell apart, and it would never be whole again.

~.~

NOW

Jenna was suddenly brought back to reality by Thor's voice.

"Our father..."

"Your father," Loki shot back at him. "Did he not tell you of my true parentage?"

Thor pressed on, unaffected.

"We were raised together," he persisted. "Played together. Fought together. Do you remember none of that?"

"I remember a shadow," Loki shot back with a venomous glare. "Living in the shade of your greatness."

That shocked Thor into silence for a moment.

"I remember you tossing me into an abyss," Loki went on, each word a knife in Jenna's heart; "I who was, and should be, king!"

"It is now my job to protect Earth," Thor interjected firmly.

Loki gave a mocking chuckle.

"And you're doing a marvellous job with that," he told him, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret," Loki continued. "I mean to rule them!"

"You think yourself above them?" Thor demanded.

"Well, yes..." Loki said, as if it were obvious.

"Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother," Thor said. "A throne would suit you ill."

Loki pushed Thor away, baring his teeth in anger.

"I've seen worlds you've never known about," he shot back, walking further up the hill as Thor followed him. "I have grown, Odinson, in my exile. I've seen the true power of the Tesseract. And when I wield it-"

"Who showed you this power?" Thor wanted to know. "Who controls the would-be king?"

"I am a king!" Loki exclaimed.

"Not here!" Thor shouted back, grabbing his brother by the shoulders.

"You give up this poisonous dream! " Thor went on. "You come home!"

Loki just stared at him for a moment, in silence.

"I don't have it," he said with a shrug and a smug smile.

Calling Mjolnir back into his hand, Thor assumed a fighting stance.

"You need the cube to bring me home," he continued, "but I've sent it off. I know not where."

Thor caught his breath, and took a step back; commanding Loki's attention.

"Listen well, brother..." he began.

Suddenly, before Thor could continue, he was knocked off of the mountainside as Tony ploughed into him, mid-flight and quite on purpose.

Only Jenna heard Loki's sarcastic reply of, "I'm listening."

Despite everything, she still had to stop herself from laughing.

Peering out from behind the formation, Jenna saw Tony engaging Thor in combat, while Loki watched, almost smugly, from the hillside.

She would have thought he would make a run for it once Thor was distracted. But he didn't.

He just stayed where he was, smirking as he watched the two fight.

Tony and Thor had only fought for a few minutes when Captain America suddenly swung into the middle, trying to break it up.

Thor went for him with Mjolnir, and Steve raised his indestructible vibranium shield to block the blow.

A massive CLANG resounded throughout the entire plain; felling trees and shaking the ground in the process.

Jenna had to duck back behind the rock formation for shelter from the aftershock.

When she looked back, the trio all stood in a circle, in a small crater formed by the impact.

Jenna reached for the S.H.I.E.L.D device on her wrist and twisted a knob, sending a signal to Michael.

"Send backup," she said into the tiny microphone quietly. "I think they need a time-out."

~.~

Later, Tony, Captain America, Thor, Jenna and company were back on the Helicarrier, and Loki had been detained.

There, Jenna learned the Cap's true name, Steve Rogers; and met Dr. Bruce Banner, a scientist that Natasha had recruited shortly prior to the scene in Stuttgart.

Jenna was a huge fan of Dr. Banner's work, thanks to Tony's scientific schpeals.

Banner was a slight man of average height; not very imposing, with dark hair that looked like it was already going grey in places, despite the fact that he was in his thirties.

He was a quiet, shy man, and seemed a little skittish at first glance to Jenna, but she could tell why.

Everyone knew Bruce Banner's story.

He had been in a gamma radiation accident when an experiment went horribly awry. Thanks to these effects, now, whenever Bruce got too angry or upset, he transformed into a massive green monster that would destroy everything in his path.

They called it the Incredible Hulk.

This was probably the reason why all the other agents were so distant from Banner, despite his kind demeanour.

Jenna and Tony were the exceptions.

Jenna was as kind to Dr. Banner as he was to everyone else; and he took to her right away. Tony, on the other hand, wasn't afraid to joke around with Banner, and they found a friend in each other due to their common scientific interests.

Banner sat with the rest of the crew in the board room as armed guards escorted Loki to his cell; a large, circular room with glass walls.

Loki rolled his eyes as he was locked inside. Once he was in the cell, Fury approached him.

Jenna, Michael and the others all watched the feeds on the security monitors, anxious to hear the exchange between Colonel Fury and the god whom had caused him so much grief.

"Now, I want to make one thing perfectly clear," Fury told Loki sternly. "If you make any tries to escape; if you even so much as scratch that glass..."

He trailed off as he reached over and touched a button on the control panel.

The floor beneath the glass cell opened, revealing nothing but empty air beneath.

"Thirty thousand miles down in a steel trap," Fury finished, closing the floor back up again. "You get how that works?"

Fury gestured to the cell.

"Ant."

He then gestured to the control panel.

"Boot."

Loki smirked and took a few steps back, raising his hands with a flourish.

"It's an impressive cage," he said. "Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something a lot stronger than you," Fury shot back.

"Oh, I've heard..." Loki said, turning to look directly at the security camera.

"The beast, who makes play he is still a man," Loki went on smugly.

Natasha looked up from the monitors and glanced at Dr. Banner. Everyone knew he was talking about him.

Jenna felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Stop it...she thought silently, as if Loki could hear her.

"How desperate are you..." Loki continued, "...that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"

Jenna glanced at Thor, who stood solemnly with his back to her.

They were both thinking the same thing. Loki was one to talk about lost creatures...when he was one himself.

"You threaten my world with war," Fury shot back at Loki. "You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace, and you kill because it's fun. You have made me very desperate. And you might not be glad that you did."

All of the agents recognized the no-nonsense tone in Fury's voice, one they had learned to fear.

But Loki was completely unaffected by it.

"Ooh..." he said softly, almost mockingly.

"It burns you to have come so close," he went on, leaning forward slightly; attempting to intimidate Fury.

"To have the Tesseract...to have power...unlimited power...and for what?"

Loki paused a moment and glanced back toward the camera.

"A warm light for all mankind to share," he went on, almost coyly, before turning back to Fury.

"And then to be reminded what real power is," he finished, firm confidence in his voice.

Jenna's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. She couldn't believe that he had said that to her superior.

But then again, he was Loki.

He did whatever he wanted.

Everyone could see from Fury's face that he was ready to boil over with rage. But Fury was famous for keeping his cool, even in the worst of moments.

So instead, he stalked away from the cell, with the parting quip of, "Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something."

Jenna shook her head in silent shock and partial amusement. Only Fury could out-quip the God of Mischief.

She looked around at the faces of her companions each in turn: Michael, Natasha, Steve, Dr. Banner, Tony, Maria and Thor. Every one of them knew what they had to do now.

They had to figure out what it was exactly that Loki wanted. Once they figured that out, they would know why he had let them capture him in the first place...

~.~

THEN

Jenna screamed at the top of her lungs as she swung her sword anywhere she could reach, leaving grooves in the bedposts, the walls, the furniture, and even the floor.

She dropped her sword and started throwing anything that she could get her hands on at the walls.

She wrecked the room, and screamed, and screamed, until she couldn't scream anymore.

Then she collapsed on the bed and cried, and cried, until no more tears would come.

He was gone.

And there was nothing she could do.

Nothing in the world would bring him back.

After a while, she fell silent, and just lay there, staring at the ceiling, for the longest time; her fingers absentmindedly tracing the small green pendant that hung around her neck on a silver chain.

A very long time later, Frigga came into her room.

Jenna sat up quickly and looked at the queen.

She could see from her face that she knew. She had clearly been crying, too.

Neither of them had to say anything. The two women looked at each other, and all at once, they both knew.

Frigga crossed the room in two strides to envelop the younger woman in an embrace.

Jenna held onto her, and the two of them just stayed there, holding each other with tears streaming down their faces in silence, because there was nothing to say.

And in that moment, Jenna made herself a solemn vow.

Something in her heart, deep down inside, told her that Loki wasn't dead.

He was gone...but still alive.

And she vowed that no matter what, she would find him again.

No matter where he was.

No matter how long it took.

She would find him.

She would always find him.

~.


	5. Chapter 5: An Extraordinary Mortal

(A/N: Some parts of this chapter were somewhat inspired by "Brave.")

~.~

CHAPTER FIVE: An Extraordinary Mortal

~.~

THEN

Jenna laughed as she galloped through the forests of Asgard on her horse, wind whipping across her face and through her hair.

Thor, Loki, Sif and the Warriors Three were not far behind, on their own horses.

"That girl is mad," Volstagg remarked to Thor, off-hand.

"I wouldn't say that," Thor responded. "She's...a free spirit, to be sure."

"Well, I find her spirit refreshing," Fandral put in. "Much more lively than most mortal girls that I could name."

"Fandral!" Thor exclaimed, half-scolding and half-mocking.

Fandral laughed. Volstagg chuckled. Hogun's eyes smiled even though the rest of his face didn't.

Meanwhile, Sif heaved a sigh.

"How does she expect us to keep up with her?" she demanded.

Thor chuckled.

"We are Asgardian, Sif," he told her. "We'll figure it out."

At the same time, Loki didn't appear to be paying attention to Sif, the Warriors or his brother whatsoever. His eyes were locked on Jenna; though his expression was unreadable.

Jenna reached the clearing before the others did, leaping from her horse gracefully and dashing over to the large stone formation on the other side of the clearing; which led upward to a small waterfall.

"What are you up to now, Jenna of Midgard?" Fandral wanted to know as the Asgardians dismounted their horses.

"I'm going to climb them," Jenna stated, completely casually.

Volstagg scoffed.

"Ha!" he laughed. "Don't be so foolish! With all due respect, Miss Jenna; none have ever been able to climb the Steep Stones, much less a mortal like yourself."

"Yeah..." Jenna said before turning to smirk at the Asgardians over her shoulder. "But I'm no ordinary mortal."

With that, she started climbing up the Steep Stones, leaving the Asgardians standing stunned beneath.

"What should we do?!" Fandral exclaimed.

"It's no use trying to stop her," Loki said. "Once she puts her mind to something, you can be certain it will be done."

"She could die!" Sif exclaimed.

Loki gave a knowing smirk.

"Not necessarily," he said, somewhat cryptically.

"It is folly!" Volstagg exclaimed. "If no Asgardian has been able to climb to the top of the Steep Stones and drink from the Falls of Fire, then I'm certain that no mortal can either!"

"Well, she seems to be doing a fairly decent job," Thor said, grinning from ear to ear.

Sif and the Warriors Three all looked up. In the short time that they had been arguing with the Odinson brothers, Jenna had somehow managed to scale almost to the top of the Steep Stones, and was still going strong.

"Well...how about that," Fandral said thoughtfully.

"Perhaps we misjudged Miss Jenna," Hogun said.

Hogun's statement rang true, as Jenna carefully pulled herself up onto the very top of the Steep Stones; twelve feet up. Without even missing a beat, she stepped over to the waterfall that had been dubbed the Falls of Fire by Odin's ancestors and cupped her hands beneath the stream of water. Slowly, she brought her hands, full of water, to her lips and drank it up.

It was as if she had swallowed pure, raw sunlight; filling her body with a heat that made her feel like she was glowing, rather than burning.

"WHOO-HOO!" Jenna hollered, before proceeding to jump, spin and twirl around on top of the rocks in celebration.

Thor whooped with joy. Sif smirked and applauded. The Warriors Three all cheered. A smile broke across Loki's face.

"See?!" Jenna called down to them. "I told you I could do it!"

"I shall never doubt you again, Miss Jenna!" Volstagg proclaimed.

Even more astonishing than her trek to the Falls, Jenna then proceeded to carefully make her way back down the Stones with absolutely no effort at all. She reached the ground faster than she reached the top.

Once her feet touched the ground again, she was immediately whisked back off of it by Thor, who picked her up and spun her around before pulling her into a bear hug. Sif and the Warriors crowded around her, all of them chattering at once.

Loki gazed at her, separate from the crowd; still smiling.

She truly is an extraordinary mortal... he thought to himself.

~.~

NOW

Jenna was about ready to scream.

After several hours of putting up with Tony and Steve not getting along, Banner practically being afraid to make a sound, Natasha looking stone-faced, and Thor being confused by just about everyone and everything; plus Loki's imprisonment and interrogation, she had reached her breaking point.

She stormed out of the council room without saying a word to anyone and locked herself in her room; which was also her office.

It was the only place where she could really think, in peace and quiet.

Collapsing into her desk chair, Jenna began to think about everything that had gone on in the past couple of days. Things were only going to go from bad to worse.

Unless...

Jenna ran Loki's conversation with Fury over and over in her mind. She knew Loki, probably better than anyone else; even his brother. Sometimes...she wondered if she knew him better than he knew himself.

She knew that he had a plan, and his plan involved being captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.

But why? For what purpose? What could he possibly hope to gain? What did he want?!

Jenna paused there, mid-thought.

She couldn't help but think of about how he'd looked at her that night in the Quinjet...the things he'd said to her in Stuttgart...

She caught herself and shook her head; as if she were trying to shake those thoughts from her mind.

Loki was a different person now, not the kind-hearted, level-headed prince he used to be...that she fell in love with...

He was so different now, inside and out. He was...volatile, feral, wild, reckless, arrogant, manipulative, destructive, maniacal, murderous...dangerous.

And yet...

She shook her head again, and nearly slapped herself this time.

NO. she thought. Don't even go there.

Although Loki claimed that he still loved her, Jenna couldn't afford to buy into it, what with the things he had done, and was trying to do. She was just a pawn in his plan, and she wouldn't let him turn her feelings for him against her.

But...there was always the chance that-

"No!" Jenna shouted with a frustrated groan, before doubling over and putting her head in her hands.

She couldn't deal with this. It was just too much for her.

But she couldn't just walk away from it, either.

She was committed to the Avengers Initiative, and she would see it through to the end.

But she made herself a promise.

She would never tell any of the Avengers of what she felt for Loki.

To do so would be suicide.

~.~

Of all the Avengers, Jenna was closest to Natasha. She was the only one besides Clint who could tell what she was planning, if she had something on her mind, et cetera.

So she knew just by looking at her that she was going to interrogate Loki, one-on-one.

And the thought positively terrified Jenna.

So...she made the decision to go and do something reckless.

Out of all the S.H.I.E.L.D agents, Jenna Campbell was known for being the stealthiest. She could slip into any room or any crowd and go completely unnoticed. She knew all the vantage points, all the blind spots, all the places where she could become invisible.

She found one such place in Loki's cell room.

She slipped in without him even noticing her, and hid in the shadows, concealed from Loki, and Natasha, who was just walking into the room; as light-footed as Jenna.

Loki smirked.

"Not many have the ability to sneak up on me," he said as he turned to face Natasha.

Jenna smirked a little in her hiding place; she couldn't help it. She had snuck up on Loki at least a dozen times...

"But you figured I'd come?" Natasha shot back.

Loki's smirk never wavered.

"After whatever tortures that Fury could concoct," he said, "you would come to me as a balm...a friend...and I would cooperate."

He smiled; but there was something unsettling about it...

"Tell me what you've done with Clint Barton," Natasha said.

This came as a genuine shock to Jenna. She knew that Natasha and Clint cared about each other, but...not like this. Loki seemed to have the same senses Jenna did.

"I'd say I've expanded his mind," Loki responded coyly.

"And once you've won," Natasha continued, "once you're king of the mountain, what happens to his mind?"

"Is this love, Agent Romanoff?" Loki asked, grinning.

"Love is for children," Natasha said, "I owe him a debt."

Jenna rolled her eyes. THERE was the Natasha she knew.

"Tell me," Loki said, tilting his head to one side intently.

Natasha hesitated for a moment, then sighed and told him everything.

"Before I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D, I, ah...well, I made a bit of a name for myself," she said, her gaze fixed downward. "I have a very specific skill set. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me. He made a different call."

Jenna's brow furrowed in surprise. Natasha had never even told her any of that, and they were close friends. Why would she just choose to tell Loki?

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" Loki asked.

"Not let you out," Natasha shot back.

Under normal circumstances, Jenna would have smirked at that. But she realized that this had become suddenly so much bigger than her.

"I know," Loki went on with a grin, "but I like this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man."

"Regimes fall every day," Natasha said coldly. "I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian. Or...I was."

"And what are you now?" Loki asked, clearly fully enjoying himself.

"It's really not that complicated," Natasha said. "Let's just say...I've got a little red in my ledger, and...I'd like to wipe it out."

Jenna leaned a little closer in her hiding spot. She couldn't wrap her head around what was happening.

Then it clicked.

No matter what she said, Natasha did care for Clint.

Suddenly, Loki's voice broke her from her reverie.

"Can you?" Loki asked Natasha, his voice suddenly dangerously soft. "Can you really wipe out that much red? Drakoff's daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital fire?"

Jenna watched as Natasha's expression slowly shifted into one of horror.

"Barton told me everything," Loki went on, his voice growing more and more frightening. "Your ledger is dripping; it's gushing red, and you think saving a man who is no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basis of sentimentality. This is a child's prayer." He paused to scoff. "Pathetic. You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to the separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you and they will never go away."

Jenna felt something unfamiliar pricking at the back of her neck and burning her throat. Something tightening her chest and clouding her mind.

For the first time, she was afraid of Loki.

As if Jenna wasn't tense enough, she nearly jumped when Loki suddenly slammed his fist against the glass wall of the cage. Natasha jumped back, too; startled.

"I won't touch Barton," Loki growled. "Not until I make him kill you; slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake, just long enough to see his good work. And when he screams, I'll split his skull!"

A fist of cold fear squeezed Jenna's heart, as Natasha whirled around to face away from him, horrified.

"That is my bargain, you mewling quim!" Loki hissed at Natasha.

Jenna felt her heart drop into her stomach.

This was all the proof she needed.

The Loki she'd loved was gone.

"You're a monster," Natasha hissed.

Loki smiled wickedly.

"Oh, no," he said. "You brought the monster."

All at once, Natasha turned back to face him, all of her fear suddenly gone.

"So," she said, "Banner. That's your play."

Jenna's eyes widened. Damn, she was good.

"What?" Loki said, somewhat in disbelief.

Natasha raised the radio on her wrist to her mouth, which connected her directly to Fury and the head S.H.I.E.L.D honchos, as she walked away from the cell.

"Loki plans to unleash the Hulk," she said into it. "Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well."

She turned back to Loki as she stood in the doorway.

"Thank you," she said. "for your cooperation."

If the situation had been different, Jenna would have felt like dancing. Natasha, one of her closest friends, had successfully outwitted the God of Mischief.

But all she felt was the weight pressing down on her chest.

For several moments, she didn't move. She just stayed in the shadows, leaning against the wall for support; fearing that she would collapse otherwise.

She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs until she couldn't breathe anymore. She wanted to cry her heart out until there was nothing left in her.

But she knew she couldn't do those things. She couldn't let herself be held back anymore.

There was only one thing she could do.

Slowly, she silently stepped out from her hiding place and into plain sight.

At first, he didn't see her. Her footsteps were too light.

But he seemed to sense her presence, and turned back.

Their eyes locked, and he knew. He knew she had been there the entire time, and had heard everything.

She had heard him threaten her closest friends.

Neither of them spoke a word. He just stared at her, as she glared at him with a look that combined revulsion, fear and hatred all into one.

His expression was unreadable, even as she turned on her heel and stalked out of the holding room.

~.~

THEN

"I can't believe it!" Michael exclaimed when Jenna and the Asgardians returned from the woods. "My niece, the first to climb the Steep Stones! I couldn't be prouder!"

"Uncle..." Jenna sighed, raising an eyebrow at him; but unable to hide her grin.

"He has every right to be proud of you," Thor told her with a chuckle. "You did an extraordinary thing back there."

Jenna laughed modestly.

"It was just something I wanted to do," she responded.

"Something that no one has ever done before," Volstagg pointed out, "let alone a mortal."

"Oh, we get the point already," Fandral burst, giving Volstagg a teasing smack on the arm with his fan.

Thor chuckled. Sif and Jenna laughed.

"Well," Loki said, "you are an extraordinary mortal, Miss Jenna."

Jenna couldn't help but smile at him.

"Thank you, Loki," she said; and she meant it.

"Now, my friends," Thor went on, "to celebrate this momentous occasion!"

"We are not taking her drinking, Thor," Sif said, folding her arms.

Volstagg and Fandral cracked up. Even Hogun cracked a smile. Loki just rolled his eyes.

"No, no, no, not that," Thor said, shaking his head. "A bit of celebratory target practice!"

The words 'target practice' made Jenna's eyes light up like a Christmas tree.

"I'll get my bow," she said before careening down the hallway like a locomotive.

"Don't wait up!" she called back to them, already a ways down the hall.

"See?" Thor told the others. "I knew she'd be pleased."

Sif, Fandral and Volstagg all laughed. Hogun's eyes laughed where his smirk had gone.

Loki just glanced in the direction she'd gone, the slightest of smiles on his lips.

Michael put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"Same old Jenna," he sighed. "Bet she doesn't realize that once your father finds out, he'll throw a banquet in her honour."

"Father throws a banquet every other day," Thor scoffed. "He's always celebrating one thing or the other."

"And what's wrong with banquets?" Volstagg interjected.

Loki groaned.

"Trust me," he told the bearded warrior, "they tend to grow tedious after a while."

"Not for me!" Volstagg sang out gleefully.

"Indeed," Fandral concurred, fanning himself somewhat femininely.

Sif rolled her eyes, tossing her long golden hair over one shoulder.

"Let's just get to the training room," she told the men, sounding exasperated. "At this rate, Jenna will beat us there."

~.~

Jenna had beaten them there, and was already firing arrows at a target with gusto.

"I told you so," Sif said, garnering a laugh from Thor.

"Hey," Jenna greeted them as they approached, notching another arrow. "What took you guys so long?"

"These fools blathering about banquets," Sif replied, jerking her head toward the Warriors Three.

"Ha!" Jenna half-laughed, half-scoffed as she drew back and let the arrow fly.

It hit the target, fitting in with so many other arrows, you would wonder what that poor bullseye ever did to her.

"I see her archery's improving," Fandral told Volstagg aside, flatly.

"Yes, which is why you had better watch what you say, Fandral," Sif shot back, overhearing.

Both men raised their hands in surrender.

"Don't get on Lady Sif's bad side," Volstagg warned Fandral under his breath. "She hears all. They say she's part Valkyrie."

"Well, that would explain a lot," Fandral replied.

"Come, my friends," Thor said. "Let us try our hands at bowman-ship; see how we measure up to Miss Jenna."

Jenna nodded to Thor in gratitude for the compliment before raising her bow again, as if in a trance.

"Even you, brother," Thor said, clapping Loki on the shoulder and causing him to involuntarily jump about a foot in the air, startled by the sudden force and contact.

"Oh...I couldn't possibly," Loki replied, snaking out from under his brother's arm with surprising grace.

"Nonsense!" Thor exclaimed, taking hold of his brother's shoulder again despite his attempts to avoid his grasp. "Show us if you're good for something besides magic tricks."

Jenna's head whipped around, and she looked as if she wanted to send an arrow through Thor's eyeball next.

"What's wrong with tricks?" she snapped, trying to sound calm.

Thor backed off slightly.

"Thank you, Miss Jenna," Loki said, with a grateful nod in her direction.

Jenna smiled at him before turning back to the target. (Needed to shoot something, anyway...)

"Nothing wrong with tricks at all, brother," Thor clarified, turning back to Loki. "Besides, you've shown us your skill at long-distance combat anyhow, with the throwing knives."

"True..." Loki sighed.

"Come now, brother," Thor said, giving Loki a hopeful grin.

The younger brother sighed and gave a barely noticeable eye roll.

"Oh, alright," he conceded. "What's the harm?"

"Exactly!" Thor sang out raucously.

And so, all of them tried their hand with the bows.

Sif excelled at archery; as a woman, she had been trained with a bow before she moved on to the sword, her now trademark weapon. Despite her skill at it, she lacked the sheer thrill that Jenna got from archery.

Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun were all used to using more direct weapons; axes, swords, maces, et cetera. To this end, none of them were especially adept at archery, but they got a good laugh out of it.

Thor could not manage a bow to save his life. He handled it as if it were a completely foreign implement to him, and it was a miracle if he hit the target. But he laughed at himself anyhow.

"All in good fun," he said whenever Sif or one of the Warriors teased him.

Needless to say, Jenna had fully committed herself to archery after her uncle had suggested to Odin that she start training with the warriors, and hone her self-defence skills during their time in Asgard. Jenna's late father had been an expert archer, and she got her natural talent from him. And the best part of it was that Jenna genuinely LOVED to shoot.

Then it was Loki's turn to try his hand. Loki had never used a bow before in his life, but, given his talent with throwing knives, and his preference for fighting at a distance, it was a given assumption that he would take to the bow naturally.

At least, for everyone but Sif and the Warriors Three.

"Now, what in Asgard is he going to do with that?" Volstagg scoffed, aside to the other warriors.

"A mage has no use for weapons," Sif added haughtily.

"Give him a chance," Fandral interjected. "Perhaps he'll take to it."

"Not likely," Hogun said.

"He can't be much worse than his brother," Jenna put in, somewhat defensively.

"We shall see," Volstagg said, folding his arms.

The five of them, along with Thor, loitered on one side of the shooting range to watch Loki. Only two of them had any faith in him whatsoever, but they had forgotten one thing. Loki had two things that his brother lacked: Patience and concentration.

Go on... Jenna thought hopefully. Show them up.

And that is exactly what he did.

On his first shot, Loki seemingly effortlessly put the arrow in the centre of the target where his brother had managed to get a dozen arrows everywhere BUT the bullseye.

Sif and the Warriors Three were shocked.

But Loki wasn't finished yet.

He drew another arrow and walked along the line to the next target, where Volstagg had lodged a few arrows in the top and bottom of the target.

THUNK! Bullseye.

He repeated this process, walking along the line and putting an arrow in the bullseye of each of their targets, save for Jenna's, without even hesitating.

Finally, he got to the end: Sif's target, where she had already put an arrow in the bullseye.

But still, he drew another arrow.

Everyone watched to see what he would do.

Without missing a beat, Loki let the arrow fly, and

SPLIT

SIF'S

ARROW

IN

TWO.

The others were dumbstruck. Sif's mouth hung open in disbelief. The eyes of each of the Warriors Three were as round as saucers. Thor was visibly surprised, but also impressed. Jenna was smiling from ear to ear.

Loki, calm as ever, just turned to glance over at them, still holding the bow in one hand. He raised one eyebrow at them with a devilish smirk.

"Next?"

That seemed to break the spell over them. Thor was the first to move, laughing gleefully as he approached his younger brother and took him by the shoulders.

"That, was spectacular!" he congratulated his brother, shaking him slightly.

"Gently, Thor," Loki reminded him.

"Ah, yes, my apologies," Thor said, drawing back from him.

"At least you didn't pick me up this time," Loki said with a grin.

Thor chuckled.

"I don't think I've ever been more proud of you, Loki," he told him.

Loki was silent, and looked a little bit stunned by the statement.

"That was...exceptional!" Fandral exclaimed in disbelief.

"Unbelievable," Volstagg interjected.

"Astounding," Hogun put in.

"Impressive..." Sif said, her arms folded across her chest.

"I'll wager you could take down quite a few Frost Giants with that bow, eh?" Thor added, his smile widening.

The Frost Giants were the massive beings that inhabited the frigid realm of Jotunheim, the longtime enemy of Asgard. They were all gigantic, with blue skin and glowing red eyes, and used ice magic to fell their foes; and if a Frost Giant touched an Asgardian, they instantly froze their skin. All Frost Giants were born with a affinity for archery, but very few chose to use it. Most preferred to use ice swords, but the Jotun archers used deadly arrows made of ice that would kill anyone hit by them.

Loki just nodded, somewhat absentmindedly.

However, wherever his mind was, it was brought right back again when Jenna just about tackled him in a hug.

"That was amazing, Loki!" she exclaimed as she embraced him. "I knew you could do it!"

"It wasn't really all that difficult," Loki said modestly, placing the bow aside to briefly hug her back before they released each other. "At least, you make it look so."

"Yeah," Jenna said, "but I had to practice for days until I could do that; and you did it on your first try! Do you know how amazing that is?!"

"Well..." Loki conceded, "I suppose I wasn't aware of how...easily I would take to it."

Meanwhile, Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three were looking at Jenna as if she had six heads. Ever since Jenna had first arrived in Asgard, she had always been so calm, cool, collected, composed and considerate. But now she looked like an excited child on Christmas morning; practically jumping up and down with delight. She looked as if she were about to grab Loki by the hands and start dancing with him (which would have been a sight to behold). This enthusiastic display was completely out of character to them.

"I wonder what was in the water of the Falls of Fire..." Fandral mused aloud.

Volstagg and Hogun nodded in agreement, in total unison.

"I am so proud of you, Loki," Jenna said with a smile, calming down considerably.

Loki gave a lopside half-smile back at her.

"Thank you, Miss Jenna," he said; and he meant it.

"Now, let us go and tell Father of your prowess," Thor said, tugging his brother away from Jenna.

Loki started to say "That won't be necessary," but Thor grabbed him by the back of the collar (old habit from when they were boys) and hauled him away; so all that came out was, "That won't be nece-ACK!" followed by a very agitated, "Thor!"

The Warriors Three all chorused laughter; Fandral's tenor, Hogun's baritone, Volstagg's bass, with Sif's laugh adding the soprano and Jenna's laugh the alto.

"Some things never change," Sif said with a sigh.

"And never will," Jenna chimed in.

~.


	6. Chapter 6: The Last Straw

CHAPTER SIX: The Last Straw

~.~

THEN

"By the by, has anyone seen Lady Sif today?" Fandral asked as he, Volstagg, Hogun, Thor and Jenna all sat at a table in the main hall. Odin had been called away from Asgard on urgent business in Vanaheim and Frigga had been left in charge of the kingdom; a wise decision on Odin's part.

"Now that you mention it, no, I haven't," Thor said. "That's odd..."

"Indeed," Volstagg agreed. "Here I thought she'd jump at the chance for a little peace and quiet for once."

"I know I would," Fandral said with a grin.

Jenna stayed innocently silent, taking a moment to admire something on the wall.

She had made the firm decision not to tell the men of the events of the previous night, lest they cause a commotion and nothing but trouble for Frigga.

Loki and Sif had had a bit of a falling out, in which Sif had shot some rather scathing remarks at Loki concerning his and Thor's competition for the throne. Jenna had ended up having to break it up, before things escalated. Loki and Sif put together was like oil and water; and one spark would burn the place down.

However, Jenna knew Loki better than anyone, and she knew that he was not one to take such things lightly...

~.~

The next morning, everyone in Asgard was awoken by a bloodcurdling scream that surely echoed throughout all the nine realms.

Thor, Jenna and the Warriors Three, Queen Frigga in tow, all seized their weapons and rushed to the source of the scream: Sif's room.

"Sif!" Thor bellowed. "What has happened?!"

"Leave me!" Sif exclaimed from the other side of the door. "Do not come in!"

"Why?" Fandral wanted to know. "What is going on?"

"It's none of your concern!" Sif cried.

"We heard you scream," Jenna pointed out.

"Everyone heard her scream..." Volstagg muttered.

"I'm fine, it's just..." Sif went on with a sigh, "...I don't want to be seen like this!"

"Like what?" Thor asked, somewhat cautiously.

There was a brief, silent pause before Sif was heard to groan.

"Well, if you must know..." she said, "then come in. The door is open."

Jenna, Thor, the Queen and the Warriors all exchanged worried glances.

Then Thor slowly turned the doorknob.

The six of them entered Sif's room as cautiously as if they were entering a lion's den.

"Sif?" Thor called into the darkness. "Where are you?"

"Over here," they heard Sif's voice moan from within.

They followed the sound until they found her sitting at her vanity, nearly hidden from sight.

"Sif?" Jenna ventured, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder.

Jenna flinched as Sif suddenly whirled around to look at them, at the same moment that Frigga re-illuminated the room.

Everyone collectively gasped.

"Oh, my gosh...Sif..." Jenna breathed in shock.

"Who did this to you?" Thor demanded.

"Who the Hel do you think?!" Sif blasted. "Your insufferable brother!"

"Loki did this?!" Jenna exclaimed in disbelief.

"There must be a way to-" Fandral began, but Sif cut him off before he could finish.

"It's Loki's magic, Fandral!" she snapped. "A spell cannot be undone once it's been cast!"

Everyone exchanged looks of panic. Luckily, the Queen stepped in to diffuse the situation.

"Sif..." Frigga told the younger goddess, leaning down to place a gentle hand beneath her chin. "I am terribly sorry for what my son has done. And I can assure you, he shall suffer the consequences of his actions. If I can...if there is a way...then I shall do everything in my power to remedy this."

Sif seemed to calm down right away, and gave a sigh; casting her gaze downward.

"Thank you, my Queen," she said gratefully.

Frigga gave Sif a hopeful smile, before pressing her lips to the top of Sif's now completely bare head.

~.~

NOW

Jenna had long since barricaded herself in her room/office while the Avengers quarrelled like spoiled schoolchildren in the lab.

Everything was falling apart.

And if the so-called heroes couldn't get their act together, then...Loki would win.

Jenna sighed. Thinking about Loki just caused the weight pressing down on her chest to grow heavier.

She wanted to know what had happened to him...to turn him into something so completely different from who he was...

Something terrible had happened to him in the dark abyss of space...and come hell or high water, she was going to find out what it was.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the Helicarrier, sending Jenna tumbling to the floor. Immediately, Jenna's pager went off. It was Fury.

"Yeah, boss?" she said into the radio reciever, sitting up.

"Get down to the main deck, pronto," Fury responded. "We've got a situation."

"Here we go..." Jenna said under her breath as she grabbed her gun and headed for the main deck.

~.~

THEN

While Frigga stayed with Sif in her room and the Warriors Three guarded the door, Jenna and Thor hunted down Loki in the courtyard.

"Brother!" Thor roared as they marched over to him.

Loki turned and glanced at them over his shoulder, quite nonchalant.

"Thor; Miss Jenna," Loki greeted them calmly. "What brings you here?"

"Do not play games with me, brother!" Thor blasted. "You know what you have done to Lady Sif!"

"I'm sure I don't know what you speak of..." Loki began innocently.

"Give it a rest, Loki," Jenna said, folding her arms. "We know it was you. What we want to know is why you did it."

Loki gazed at Jenna and knew that she meant business. He paused, then gave a sigh of defeat. Even he knew that there was no sense in lying to her.

"Just a bit of fun, really," he said, a smirk playing at his lips.

"This is beyond fun, brother," Thor rumbled. "What you've done is unforgivable!"

"What would you propose I do, Thor?" Loki inquired flatly. "You know that I cannot undo a spell once it's been cast."

"Yes," Jenna said, "but surely you can use a different spell...to reverse the effects of the first spell?"

"It is not that simple..." Loki started to say.

"Please, Loki," Jenna pleaded, reaching out and taking hold of his arm. "Surely there must be something you can do!"

Loki was surprised at the sudden contact, and glanced down at Jenna's hand on his arm as if it were something completely foreign to him; before glancing back at Jenna, whose doe brown eyes begged for his consent.

Finally, he sighed in defeat.

"There is a spell," he conceded. "But it must be enacted quickly; lest the first spell's effects become permanent."

"Then let us go, immediately!" Thor demanded, seizing his brother by the shoulder and hauling him away, Jenna on their heels.

Needless to say, Sif was less than pleased when Thor and Jenna returned with Loki in tow.

"You!" Sif roared. "How dare you use your witchcraft against me?! How dare you take away my hair?!"

"Calm yourself, Sif," Jenna told the older woman quietly, as if to put her at ease. "Loki has agreed to try and reverse the spell, if he can."

"If?!" Sif scoffed.

"What other option do we have?" Jenna said firmly, and Sif knew that she was right.

She breathed a heavy sigh.

"Very well," she said, somewhat bitterly.

Then Loki approached her; albeit very cautiously, catching his mother's gaze from across the room.

"Lady Sif," Loki said, putting on his best apologetic tone of voice. "I realize that what I have done may have been...uncalled for. And, I apologize for my...rash actions. I have come here to...make amends."

Sif raised an eyebrow at him as he slowly raised his hand so that it was level with her forehead. All at once, silvery light began to gleam at the tips of his fingers; slowly enveloping Sif's bald head. As the light touched her scalp, smooth waves of hair began to grow from it, glowing a brilliant gold, until its length reached her shoulders, as it had been before.

Loki lowered his hand and the light slowly faded...as did her hair's golden glow.

"Did it work?" Sif wanted to know, seeing the surprised expressions on everyone's faces. "What has he done?"

Hogun wordlessly seized a hand mirror off of the nearby vanity and handed it to her.

"You look...different, Sif," Thor said, slightly taken aback.

"It is the best that I could do," Loki responded bracingly.

Sif shot Loki a distrustful look as she slowly turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.

Her hair had grown back, to be sure; however, where it was once a shining gold, it was now the raven colour of ebony.

For a moment, she just stared at herself in silent shock. Everyone braced themselves for any explosive reaction that may occur.

Then Sif simply closed her eyes and sighed.

"Loki, I...express my gratitude for your decision to reconsider," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "It shall...more than suffice."

Loki simply nodded and took a few (cautionary?) steps back.

Thor, Jenna, Frigga and the Warriors Three all exchanged glances. Slowly and silently, they all trickled out of Sif's room and into the hallway. They all knew that Sif needed time to be alone.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Frigga wheeled on Loki.

"Forgive me, Mother," Loki said apologetically before she could say anything. "My actions were rash and uncalled for, and I realize that now. I see the error of my way, and I pray that one day, Sif may grow to forgive me for what I have done."

For a moment, Frigga just stared at her younger son, her expression entirely ambiguous; an expression which once struck fear into the hearts of Thor and Loki as young boys.

Then she sighed patiently.

"Loki," she said bracingly. "I am glad that you realize that what you did was wrong. However, I cannot allow your actions to go unpunished."

Loki bowed his head, in respect and submission.

"I understand, Mother," he said softly.

"We shall discuss this when your father returns," Frigga finished. "For now, all of you have duties to perform."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jenna and the Warriors Three chorused.

"Yes, Mother," Thor and Loki said in unison.

With that, each of them dispersed in different directions.

Jenna caught up with Loki after the others had disappeared.

"I am truly sorry," Jenna said quietly, as she fell into step beside the Aesir.

"Why are you apologizing?" Loki asked.

"Because I caused you trouble with your mother," Jenna elaborated.

The corner of Loki's mouth twitched upward slightly, barely visible.

"Worry not, Miss Jenna," he told her calmly. "It won't be the first time. If it's any consolation, my mother forgives more easily than Sif."

"I suppose so..." Jenna conceded.

"And I keep telling you, Loki," she went on, "to just call me Jenna."

"As you wish, Miss Jenna," Loki responded, garnering a small smile from Jenna.

~.~

NOW

Jenna rushed down to the main deck, her gun clipped to her belt. When she got there, everything was total anarchy.

"Director Fury!" she called, getting the attention of the man at the control panel. "What is going on?!"

"Barton is still under the prisoner's control," Fury explained. "He's infiltrated the base, along with several others. We suspect they're here to set him loose."

"What do you what me to do?" Jenna asked, setting her jaw. "And where are the others?"

"Thor and Romanoff are trying to keep Banner under control," Fury responded. "Rogers and Stark are diffusing the situation outside. And Linden is trying to help them repair the engine."

"We lost an engine?!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Keep your cool, Campbell," Fury cut in. "We've got it under control. Just get down to the holding cell and make sure the prisoner does not leave that cell."

"I'm on it," Jenna said with a nod before running off toward the cell.

As she ran, a plan began to form in her head. She just hoped she would make it in time...

Just then, seven mercenaries intercepted her in the middle of the hallway, weapons at the ready.

Jenna's hand closed around her gun as she assessed the situation.

"Okay, then," she muttered through gritted teeth. "Let's dance."

All of the training she had undergone to become an agent made her movements almost automatic. Armed with only a handgun, she immobilized the two closest to her with shots to the kneecaps. As the other five began to move, she swung her arm downward to shoot another in the hamstring, downing him. Her free hand hit the floor and she flipped herself into an upside-down position to kick the next assailant in the face, breaking his nose (and nearly his neck). As he went down, she completed the flip to land back on her feet in a standing position. Now only three mercenaries remained, and she made short work of the one closest to her with a single shot to the chest. She swung her gun across the second's face before slamming his head into the floor with her free hand, then finished off the last one by shooting him twice in the stomach.

Jenna got back to her feet and continued to saunter down the hallway, reloading her gun and leaving the seven bodies littered on the floor.

S.H.I.E.L.D had taught her a lot of things in one year. One of them was to think of taking a life as doing what was necessary.

Up until now, Jenna had never been able to let herself think that way.

But things were very different now.

She wasn't going to let anything stand between her and Loki this time.

The only one who could bring him to justice now was her


End file.
